The Ring
by RisenInfection
Summary: AU. At the age of six, Naruto found a strange ring filled with something that even the Kyuubi fears. Knowing none of this, Naruto slips the ring on his finger, changing the outcome of the world and his own fate. Dark!Naruto
1. Prologue, pt 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or anything else I may refer to. If I did, it wouldn't really be for children, like it is now.

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The Ring 

Prologue - Findings, pt. 1

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A small blonde-haired boy with amazingly blue eyes and three whisker-like scratches on each cheek walked down an almost deserted street, his head down in sadness. Those who were still out on the street shot the small child a glare full of hate and anger, but the boy didn't seem to notice, either that or he was just ignoring them.

The boy, Uzumaki Naruto, turned down a truly deserted alleyway and looked for something he could make into a temporary sleeping place. He finally found some cardboard and a thin and torn blanket and transformed it into a makeshift bed; it was greatly better than yesterdays ground and old and soggy scroll, not like it had anything cool in it anyway.

Naruto put his hands under his head to make a soft surface to lie his head on and sighed as he stared up at the stars. Sometimes he wished he could've been born as a star, not only because it was an easy thing to do, but more importantly, people liked stars, actually revered them, and accepted them for what they were. That's what his dream was; to be accepted by the people of Konohagakure no Sato.

A sudden noise broke little Naruto out of his reverie. It sounded sort of like metal hitting the ground. He quickly covered his small, malnourished body under the thin blanket, hiding from whoever was there.

After a moment or so, he heard some footsteps walk by him and with them a voice of a man. "Damn it all, the little motherfucker got away." Naruto heard the footsteps come nearer to his hiding spot and had to hold his breath as not to give himself away. "Oi, kobun (Henchman), do ya see it around here, I could've sworn I heard that rat bastard drop it on his way out."

A second set of footsteps entered the alleyway and with it another voice of a man. "Na, oyabun (Boss), he must've taken it with him, the little shit."

The first voice seemed to chuckle. "Yeah, he might've. Come on I got guests and I don't disappoint, unlike that dipshit of a scientist." The man started to walk away with the other and left the alleyway.

Naruto waited for five minutes, or what he assumed was five minutes before he poked his head out from under his blanket. He saw no one in the dark alley and sighed, thanking whatever god was watching over him that the thugs didn't notice him.

He lay back down and looked to the far wall of the two that closed him in. He was going to stare at it until he fell to sleep but that plan was ruined as something shined in the light cast by the full moon that caught his eye, something metal...

Naruto took the blanket off and carefully scooted over to the shiny object. He placed his hand on the ground and moved it to the object until it didn't shine anymore. He picked up the metal object and observed it closely.

It was a ring made of what looked like black steel that held his reflection, even in the dark. Naruto found that it was cold to the touch and had tribal prints on its band that were colored silver-gray and were not as reflective as the ring itself.

Naruto, in his infinite six year old curiosity, wanted to try the ring on, not knowing the effect that it would have on the outcome of the world or more importantly, his life. As he slipped the ring on he found it was too small for his little finger. Just as he was going to take the ring off and throw it back to the ground, the ring clasped down, fitting onto his finger like it was solely meant for him and him alone.

Just as Naruto was going to jump for joy that he had something other kids most likely didn't have, something happened, something that Naruto wouldn't understand until he was older.

A wave of inky blackness shot down his fingers from the ring, turning his fingernails in to sharp, black claws. The same wave then shot up his arm and all throughout his body. The blackness then shot from his body creating a dark figure around his form, the image of a horned creature with wings, claws and a tail.

Naruto himself saw things, millions of things. Information, knowledge of almost everything there was to know. His small mind not being able to comprehend what was taking place nor being able to understand all of the information being downloaded into it shut down. And then everything went black...

Deep inside Naruto's mind, a great barred door stood. Inside the room the door barred access, lay the greatest beast to walk the Earth; the Kyuubi no Kitsune in all of its red fur glory. The Kyuubi, as it were, was in a deep slumber, recuperating from its humiliating defeat at the annoying, impertinent blond ningen (human).

One of its long ears twitched, indicating it heard something, but paid no heed to it and continued with its hibernation. This move in itself would in the future come to haunt the Kyuubi a great deal. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how one looks at it, the great fox kept dreaming of chasing rabbits and killing worthless ningen.

If one were to look closely, they would find a small blot of inky blackness starting to grow on the outside of the great cell, covering the floor, and Naruto's mind, with its darkness...

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**AN:** Well I'm back from the rock I crawled under with a new story. I'm in the process of something big, something that'll change my life, hopefully for the better. I'll most likely update with the rest of the prologue by tonight or tomorrow. But this'll really get started after that, I guarantee it. Now review and tell me if I should really continue or not. Anonymous reviews are welcomed.

Oh and _The Demon's Blade_ may not be updated for awhile, my muse for it kinda committed a selfish act and went into a coma. Damn you, you over-active imagination, damn you to the deepest pits of Hell.

**Next Time on _The Ring_:** That would be telling, now wouldn't it. You'll just have to see for your self. Gosh aren't I mean?

Until next time, RisenInfection, out


	2. Prologue, pt 2 Little Imperfections

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or anything I might hint to. If I did, this'd probably be the main story.

**Legend:** Anything you don't understand, well I can't really help you. Though I will say that the double spaces are changes in point of view. That's all you need to know.

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The Ring 

Prologue - Findings, pt. 2 - Little Imperfections

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Seven years is a long time, but in it we find Naruto battling the fake oinin, Haku.

He was kneeling over his friend, Uchiha Sasuke, mourning his supposed death. A tear dropped from his eye, falling onto the mysterious black ring he found that night in the alley seven years past.

_Little Naruto awoke to an unfamiliar sight. From what he could remember, he had passed out in an alley, just after putting on some type of ring. He looked down at his hand and saw the black band, gleaming in the morning light cast by the rising sun through the window to his side. _

_Wait, window. _

_Naruto looked to the side and saw a window where the sunlight was shining into a small apartment room. He looked around the room, finding the room furnished with a dining table for two, a small loveseat, a bathroom in the corner with a shower and toiletries stocked up and a small kitchen. _

_His eyes had widened to unimaginable levels. As he looked everything over, he almost missed a note that was left on the kitchen's counter. _

_Just as he was going to reach for it, he let out a cry as a splitting pain came from his skull. He immediately held onto it as images of things beyond his understanding flashed through his mind. _

_And like last time in the alley, Naruto blacked out, but this time let out an earsplitting howl of unimaginable pain before doing so. _

Naruto clutched his head as it filled with pain and let out a silent cry of agony. He hunched over as images of blood and power filled his skull, showing him answers he didn't want to know. He tried to look away, but couldn't. He tried close his eyes, but the images were still there.

The pain worsened, but this time it began to spread down his back, crawling along his spine. He screamed out as inky black energy burst from his body, making him look like he was on fire, flames of pure ebony.

Haku watched in morbid fascination as the impertinent blonde boy began screaming, black fire seemed to just suddenly ignite around the boy and outlined his hunched over from.

He heard the blonde scream again and watched as the black energy began to spiral around him, almost like that of a twister. His attention immediately went from the energy to the boy's back and watched in horror as two bone-like horns ripped out of the back of the boy's head and nine jagged, blade-like spikes sliced through the boy's orange jacket and most likely the skin of his back, if the blood that dripped from them was any indication, and down his spine.

Haku had to gasp as the blonde looked at him. What was once deep sapphire eyes were now an ashen-white with slit pupils surrounded by pools of obsidian. The boy threw his head back and roared a bestial roar, the energy surging around him.

"**I'm gonna kill you!**"And then everything went pitch-black...

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Anger; a strong feeling of displeasure and belligerence aroused by a wrong

Rage; a fit of violent anger

Pain; mental or emotional suffering or torment

A couple weeks ago, one could've asked Naruto if he ever felt these emotions, since he was always had a smile on his face and a gleeful twinkle in his eye and he would've answered 'No'. But if one were to ask him now, he wouldn't have even answered.

So enraged was he, that he didn't even realize that the power he now felt was not his nor the Kyuubi's, but something else, something much, much worst...

_Seven year old Naruto awoke with a gasp, sitting up like a gunshot. He looked around his apartment with his sapphire-like eyes, but found nothing, only emptiness. _

_He had that dream again, where everything happened so quickly, so violently. Naruto looked down at his hands, more specifically his right ring-finger. Something told him that that dream wasn't the last, that it was only the beginning._

_He sighed and lay back down. As sleep consumed his body, images of other people and religions outside of Konoha consumed his mind. But one image burned itself into his memory and would forever haunt him, even into his teenage years. _

_It was the imagery of a man with platinum blonde hair dressed in black western clothing standing on top of one of the heads of the Hokage Mountain, specifically the Fourth's. The disturbing part though was that the man was staring down at Konohagakure no Sato with emotionless blue-grey eyes as it was razed to the ground._

_Then everything went black... _

"**Hey…**" Naruto's hoarse but power-enriched voice whispered, "**You…Alright…Scaredy-Cat?**" He clenched his now black claws into the snake he held firmly behind him, sending waves of the obsidian energy into its brain, killing it instantly.

Naruto just stood, smirking as the snake collapsed to the ground. Clouds of dust shrouded everything behind him, shadowing his figure, though it was easy for one to see the four new bone-like horns that accompanied the two already in the back of his head.

"Hehehehe... very impressive Naruto-kun," a voice said from everywhere.

Naruto looked around with his ashen eyes, looking for anything to give the voice a body.

"But not impressive enough!" The voice hissed form behind him. Before Naruto knew it, he was being strangled by a tongue, a very long tongue. The Grass-nin from atop the snake slowly strutted toward him. The nin pulled Naruto's jacket and shirt up, revealing the boy's abdomen and the Kyuubi's seal. "Now, to seal that pesky little fox." With that the ninja's fingertips lit aflame with purple chakra, the kanji for each of the five elements on each tip.

"**Gogyou Fuuin!**" The man yelled as he slammed his hand into Naruto's stomach, right into the seal. Naruto's widened at the pain and had to scream out. But this pain had nothing to do with the new seal placed over his other one.

Images flashed by his widened eyes. This time the images consisted of formulas and equations, blueprints and codes, creeds and rules, descriptions and specifications, theorems and methods, ceremonies and rituals. But this time something accompanied the images.

'_**We shall soar above the Heavens upon the wings of twilight and consume the light that embraces us. Join your voice with mine and sing victory everlasting!'**_

The voice was dark and hoarse, as if it hadn't been used in years, but held a deep, undeniable power.

And then the images started again, these were of civilizations, rising and falling, leaders, ruling and dying, and languages, everlasting. But these images held pain more pain than ever. Like when he was a child, Naruto blacked out from the pain, but this time, the images stayed...

---

Naruto smiled and cheered after his victory over Inuzuka Kiba, longtime friend and fellow brash loudmouth. He ran up the steps cheerfully and stopped at Hyuuga Hinata, who offered him some of her homemade medicinal salve. He gratefully accepted and rubbed the salve onto his wounds, which quickly healed. But one person didn't look so happy for the boy.

Yuuhi Kurenai stood in quiet contemplation, even as her last student went down to fight. The problem she was contemplating was that of the ring her father made. He had told her he had lost it, but she just saw it, around the finger of one of the rookie genin.

"_Kurenai-chan, I have something to show you," a man in white lab coat said. A fourteen year-old Kurenai looked up from her studies at her father, a questioning gaze in her crimson eyes. He made a gesture with his hand for her to follow him and she did so._

_They walked down a hall, then some stairs, before coming to a metal door. Her father placed his hand on a pad and the door slid open. They both walked in and the door slid shut behind them._

_Kurenai felt her eyes widen at all the technology and other mechanics that furnished the room. She knew her father was always ahead of his time, having even made her studies himself, but all these things, they were amazing. And the truly amazing thing was that he had made them all himself._

"_Kurenai-chan, over here," her father gestured again, this time over to a metal table he was sitting at. _

_She walked over and just as she stopped, she felt her eyes widen once more. _

_Something, she couldn't really describe it, came out of the table. It looked like it was a smaller table and it held two boxes: a silver one and a black one. _

_Her father opened the boxes and revealed a ring in each one. Inside the silver box rested a reflective silver ring with unreflective black tribal markings that rested on a black pillow. Inside the black box was a black ring with silver-grey tribal markings. _

_Kurenai's eyes glowed at the jewelry and she reached out to touch one, but her father stopped her. _

"_These are not regular rings that sit before us, Kurenai-chan," her father chastised. "These rings are power in all of its glorious form. Knowledge and energy is what they are, but it would be dangerous if you were to wear one without proper instruction."_

_Kurenai looked down in sadness that she didn't get to where one of the rings her father made. _

_The man's eyes softened at this. "However, I will instruct you on how to use the ring properly, because one of them is for you and you alone. But the other one, will never be worn as what it contains- _

Kurenai was brought out of her reminisce as her student was just about to be hurt.

Naruto, through the corner of his eye had watched the brunette, though he kept up the act that he was cheering for Hinata. In truth, he could care less about the pathetic girl, his interests were better suited toward her sensei.

Though some of the images he saw were fragmented. He could definitely remember seeing a girl about his age with exotic crimson eyes. He would have to remember the woman, when it finally came time for his mask to come off...

---

Naruto stared across the river at his rival, his friend, his brother. It had been a little over a quarter of a year, at most.

_Nine-year old Naruto sat in a corner, his arms over his head. They were doing it again, showing how much they hated him. For what, he didn't know, and sometimes, he didn't want to know._

_There was a bang as his door flew off its hinges. He heard them coming into his apartment, heard their footsteps as they closed in on him._

"_Heh-heh," a particularly nasty voice chuckled, "Couldn't hide this time, eh, _demon_!"_

_And it was at that moment that Naruto actually wished he could see the images again, even if they were vile and unwanted, the pain he got in his head was infinitely better than what the angry mob would inflict, as it would most likely knock him out. _

_The man before him raised his foot to kick the little blonde boy. Just as the foot came down, the images began to show. _

_Sciences of all kinds, earthly or otherwise, flashed before his eyes, implanting knowledge and theories into his brain. Schemes were devised, plans were made, and masks were built. With everything he gained, nothing would be lost. _

_And then it happened, like last time two years ago. One image in particular burnt itself into his memory, forever staining his mind. _

_The image was that of burning nations and one being was responsible for it. He flew in the sky on wings of ebony, a long, metallic, whip-like tail swished behind him as the nine spikes that lined his spine bristled in anger. The monster had black talon-like claws for hands and bone-like spikes protruded from black forearm guards, twelve on of each forearm, each one larger than the next. And on the creatures head were nine bone-like horns, situated into that of a crown... _

Naruto roared as the Kyuubi's red chakra changed into the black energy from before. But this time something was different. There were no images accompanying the energy, no pain.

And then the next thing he knew was that he was in that sewer, his mind. He walked for what seemed like ages, until finally, he came to the Kyuubi's cell room.

"**Do you know why I called you here, ningen?"** the Kyuubi asked, its giant maw staring down at Naruto's petite form.

Naruto shrugged nonchalantly, like his life wasn't on the line. "I dunno, to give me your chakra, I guess."

The Kyuubi shook its gargantuan head, seeing right through Naruto's pitiful lie. **"No, I brought you here, because of that."** Kyuubi pointed its snout at something in one the dark corners of the room.

Naruto followed the direction and saw only darkness. He narrowed his eyes as he looked back at the Kyuubi. "So, what about it? Don't tell that the mighty and fearsome Kyuubi is scared of the dark," he mocked, allowing some of his true personality to leak out since the fox saw trough his façade.

The Kyuubi chuckled as it shook its head at the boy's impertinence. **"No, it is not the darkness I am afraid of, but what it contains."**

Naruto looked at the Kyuubi in puzzlement, but it wouldn't be the Kyuubi who would answer him; it would be what the Kyuubi feared most.

'_**I am the knowledge you pursue, the power you deserve. I am what you want, but may not have. I am what you seek, but may not gain. I am the voice which will never be heard. I am the child who no one wants.'**_ Naruto began to walk closer and closer to the voice he heard before, raising the hand with the ring, allowing for the voice to draw him in.

'_**I am the light that was put out. I am the darkness that was lit. I am the evil that was conquered. I am the good that was destroyed. I am everything and I am nothing. I am Heaven and I am Hell. I am Sin and I am Virtue. I am what you desire most. I will be your sword; I will be your shield.'**_

Naruto put his hand into the blackness and surprisingly pushed on something solid, but not hard, like gelatin. He pushed in further and the darkness began to rein him in.

Kyuubi's eyes widened in fear at what this would bring about. Even though it would enjoy watching the pathetic humans run and die, but it didn't want the same fate, it never wanted to die!

As if reading the fox's thoughts, a voice said from the blackness, _"Don't worry so much Kyuubi-chan. If you remember you're inside me and have done no wrong, I don't foresee a reason for you to pass on."_

The fur around Kyuubi's cheeks brightened, the only real way to tell she was blushing. But now that she knew she wouldn't be killed, she was elated, so much so, that sleeping sounded like a great way to spend the elation.

As Kyuubi settled in for a very long nap, the blackness had finally consumed Naruto totally and began morphing into something.

Naruto himself knew, somehow, that what the blackness wanted to teach him was a slow process that would take years, even decades. But he didn't mind as long as it was there, he didn't care.

Images flashed through his mind once more, images of how control his new power, his new form. The darkness began to take a form, that of a human with devilish features.

"**We are now I, who was once two separate entities, now one. Now crown me King and let the new world order begin."**

Naruto opened his eyes to find he was in the same spot as he was what felt like hours ago, which was only a few seconds in reality.

Then he felt it; pain, unlike any other. It went from his head and down into his whole body. He felt ripping and tearing at his back and tailbone. Then felt something stab him in the temples and slice through the top of his head.

Sasuke's eyes, despite him being in Curse Seal Level 2 form, widened as true fear gripped his heart. He watched as the black fire outlined his ex-friend's body and as the nine blade-like spike shot down his back, splattering blood all over the rocks behind the blond. Then something shot out Naruto's tailbone; a long, metallic, whip-like tail that was covered with skin and blood, swished around the blond a couple times.

Then as if that wasn't enough, a more grotesque scene took place. Blackness shot out of the blonde's back, forcefully ripping off his jacket and shirt and sent blood and skin everywhere. The blackness curved around the blond before quickly spreading out like wings, sending out a violent gust of wind that blew Sasuke back.

As he opened his eyes, Sasuke found that the blackness on Naruto's back were actually a pair of crow-like wings with a three meter wingspan, at least. He saw Naruto raise his head and saw something that was ingrained into his memory forever; eight bone-like horns growing out of the boy's head and a ninth blade-like horn from the top of his head, all situated like a crown.

The last thing Sasuke saw and heard before he fell into unconsciousness was Naruto's ashen-white eyes surrounded by pools of jet-black and roar of anger and a cry of agony...

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**AN:** Well now, how'd you like that? Something is big is going on. Anyways, I had meant to get this out a couple days ago, but I didn't get the chance to write it until yesterday, which I spent most of my night doing. But getting back on track, all the time-skips you see are intentional, only because I don't want to go through the whole series.

Now, Chapter 1 will take place during Part II or Shippuden, whatever you want to call it. Naruto himself is going to be based on, but certainly not like, Kazama Jin from Tekken. I also based Naruto's 'Devil Form' on Devil Jin.What you read where Naruto grew spikes, horns, and a tail and wings, was 'Imperfect Devil'. Should explain the chapter's title some.

Anyways, everything, the rings, the images, the knowledge and Kurenai's father will all be explained throughout the story. If you have any questions though, please don't hesitate to ask, but I may not give you the answer you want. Though I _did_ put _some_ answers in this already. Now review to your hearts content. Thanks for reading.

**Next Time on** **_The _Ring**: Nope, sorry, you'll just have to find out for yourself.

Until next time, RisenInfection, out


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